John Fitzsimmons was born in 1953 in Central New York; he still lives and works in Syracuse. He attended SUNY New Paltz and The Art Academy of Cincinnati. He works full time in his studio in the Delavan Studio Building.

About 8 years ago I discovered electo-etching and then plastic plate drypoint, [AKA engraving]. I had always wanted to do printmaking in addition to my painting but the toxic issues were a barrier. Since then, I built my own 30-inch compound press and expanded my skills and techniques. In 2022 I completed 12 prints used to illustrate “Cairns” an epic poem by Phil Memmer, a re-telling of the myth of Sisyphus.

My interest in printmaking is as an extension of drawing, loving its “scratchy blackness” with the aspect of multiples being secondary.